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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. branch — a division
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. perch — the fish
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. cap — of ice
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a lid
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — finally
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com